How do I know if Mozy is working?

A common question we hear from new customers is "How do I know Mozy is working?" The answer is surprisingly simple: "Mozy is always on, working away in the background . . . unless you turn it off." Mozy is a service that can run while your using your computer or when you are away from it. Although you may not see all that it does, it's working hard to protect your files.

Mozy is designed to keep track of the files that need to be backed up and then perform the backup at the scheduled time. Even if you set your scheduled backups to run once per day, Mozy will be collecting the information it needs throughout the day to run the backup. If there is a problem that prevents Mozy from starting or completing the backup, Mozy will alert you about the problem and try to run the backup again. If the problem persists, Mozy will let you know what you can do to fix the problem yourself or how you can get help from a Mozy customer service representative.

There are several features you can use to help you find out what Mozy is doing at any given time. Below, I've listed a few things you can do to see Mozy in action.

1. View all your backed up files through the Web or a Mobile device. A great way to make sure Mozy is working is to search through the files it has backed up and we've made that easier for you to do. A few months ago we updated our Web access feature that allows you "Browse" and search for the files you want to make sure are backed up. We also launched our Mobile app which gives you anywhere access to view your backed up files.

2. Use the Mozy status feature on your desktop. We have a "status" feature running that will always give you the most current information about your backups. For Windows users, the status feature can be accessed through the Mozy tray icon (right-clicking on the Icon and choosing "Status") and for Mac users, the status feature is built right into the Mozy icon in the Menu Bar. In both cases, the status feature shows the following information: when the last backup completed, the number of files backed up, the number of files that will be backed up the next time Mozy is scheduled to run the backup, and what Mozy is currently doing (e.g. looking for files that need to be backed up or running the backup).

3. View the most recently backed up files. Using the status feature, you can also view the files that have most recently been backed up or those that are awaiting to be backed up. For both Windows and Mac users you can click on the "Files Backed Up" or "Backed Up" links to display a list of your backed up files. You can also verify which files are backed up by opening Mozy's Settings or Preferences and clicking on the Files view. Each file or folder that Mozy is backing up will have either a checkmark or circle next to it.

4. Manually start a backup. You can start a backup anytime by clicking on "Start Backup" or "Backup Now." You'll be able to see Mozy scanning your computer to make sure it has a list of all the files that need to be backed up. Then you can watch the progress of that backup (if you are really intrigued, you can actually watch each file get sent to the Mozy servers -- though, you'll need to have sharp eyes as the file names will fly by).

5. Search the backup history. For advance users, we've made it easy to access a record of all the backup attempts and results. The History view lists the time and date of the backup and a list of all the files that we backed up during that run.

Note: When you install Mozy the first time and don't change any of the schedule settings, Mozy will automatically start backing up your files when it detects that your computer is not being used. In the Settings or Preferences areas, you can always change the frequency and how fast you want the backups to run.

There are many more ways to see what Mozy is doing, but I hope these 5 ways will give you a better indication of the status of your backups.

When I right click on MY Mozy Icon on my Windows desktop the selection of "Status" does not appear so that I can go on to see what files have been backed up or to even see if Mozy is working. I would like do a manual back up. Even hen I sign-on to my account I simply cannot find an option to see my back-up history. It will tell me when the last backup took place but it only then gives me the option to Restore Documents. I just want to see the backup History for heaven's sake. Why is this so "hidden" or difficult to fine? How do I fine a history, as well as the files backed up even if it is working, if I cannot locate that what should be a very simple option?

I would suggest that you look at your other automatic scheduling parameters. For example, you may have it set to backup 2X a day, but it your machine is never idle for more than 20 minutes, it may not have a chance to kick off.

can Mozy provide an automate process to inform Mozy users that a backup has not been taken or successful in x number of days instead of mozy users manually checking. How about the iPad app automatically informing us of no backups taken or sucessful in x number of days.....